The present invention relates to a lighting fixture and, more particularly, to a hinge assembly for holding a bezel door to a fixture housing.
A typical outdoor lighting fixture or luminaire for a floodlight or similar application comprises a cast aluminum housing having an open front face. A bezel door is usually hinged to the housing to close against the open housing face. The bezel door has a refractor lens mounted therein. The lamp, usually a high-voltage mercury vapor or high-pressure sodium lamp, is held in a base which, along with the ballast and other necessary electrical components, are mounted in the housing.
It is desirable to hinge mount the bezel door to the housing because for routine maintenance, the most typical being lamp replacement, it greatly simplifies the process if the electrical components of the housing are readily accessible. The bezel door is usually square or rectangular in shape, and a latch mechanism is used to join one edge of the bezel door to an adjacent edge at the front face of the housing. The opposite edges of the bezel door and housing usually contain a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly must be positive in its retention of the bezel door to the housing when the bezel door is swung open. This assures that the bezel door will not be dropped upon opening along the hinge which would almost certainly cause the refractor lens to be broken. Further, a low cost and study hinge is also desired due to the outdoor service to which the fixture will be exposed.
It is also desirable that the hinge is able to be cast in one operation as an integral part of the bezel door and the housing. This assures added strength for the hinge and eliminates assembly steps which would be required if the hinge had to be separately secured to the bezel door and housing.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lighting fixture having an improved bezel door-housing hinge.